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Weekly Proverb: Introduction

Why Proverbs?

1. In the past year, I began a new bible reading plan which has included a chapter of Proverbs each day. I found the plan through an article on challies.com, and have found it to be extremely beneficial for my daily devotions. I would encourage you to follow the link and consider utilizing it in your own times in God’s word. Briefly, the reading plan has split the bible into ten sections, resulting in ten chapters per day. One of the ten sections is the book of Proverbs, repeated over and over again. Of course I am hardly perfect at reading each day, and I sometimes will read only five chapters at a time and finish the other five the following day. This has resulted in me reading on average between two to four chapters in Proverbs per week over the past year.

2. This past year has yielded more time in Proverbs for me than the collective whole of my entire life prior. In that time, my heart has reaped a great harvest from spending time in this book. I am often struck by the wisdom of something I have read, and have found myself recording multiple proverbs a week in my journal. I would like to share some of that with you.

My Aim

1. One of my aims by publishing my reflections on a weekly proverb is to grow in my own communication of truth. I desire to grow in my ability to effectively share the truth of God’s word and feel the Proverbs are a great place to start.

2. The second aim I have is to present gospel informed wisdom for life transformation. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) I hope I can communicate gospel truth through the proverbs that will serve to transform my mind and the mind of those who read.

My Cautions and Fears

1. The proverbs can at times be taken as simply good advice. I desire to remind us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7), and that in Him do we find true wisdom. This wisdom is fully culminated in the person and work of Jesus Christ. If it were only for earthly wisdom, this would be a vain effort. May I forever point us upward as we study the wisdom of Proverbs.

2. My own pride and foolishness gives me caution and fear. “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (Proverbs 29:20) My prayer is that I would not be hasty or prideful in my efforts. My I remember with humility the grace I have in Christ, and may it lead me to be humble in my approach.

Where I Am From

Shortly before leaving my position as a Hall Director at NDSU, my supervisor asked my colleagues and me to write a “where I am from” statement. As a reference he showed us “Where I am From: Student Affairs Practice from the Whole of Students’ Lives” by Borrego and Manning. The goal of our “where I am from” statement was to provide others with a sense of where we are from in regard to location, lineage, socially and other aspects that make us who we are. I thought I would share mine with you. Here it is:

"I am a Sojourner" by Jeremy Adelman

I am from small town Minnesota
Power plants, furniture stores and football teams
These are the things that we are known for
Shining stars, manure and coyotes fill the senses
What a great place to start this journey
To begin this taleWhich I hope to finish well

I am from Germans, Irish and Catholics
Hard working, blue collar hands
That helped forge our great lands
While I must also carry the sins of my fathers
I am proud to be
At the end of my family tree

I am from an opportunity for education
After high school was finished
The city on the red became my destination
Filled with Bison pride, I joined the herd
It was a catalyst for immense growth
As I found my calling, my wife and the start of my career
I am now leaving, not just a city
But friends, memories and a place to call home
To the Minnesota capital I go
A future unknown, but a new place to call home

Most ultimately, I am from an eternal kingdom, a world unseen
For this world is not my home
I am a sojourner, an alien, who is just passing through
My residence was granted when He became what He was not
So I could become what I was not
I traded my guilt for His innocence
And my shame for His glory
I am from an eternal kingdom
And one day I will truly be going home.

Blogging Again...?

I have recently been motivated to renew my blogging efforts. I posted about two and a half years ago that I would only blog if my intentions were about more than simply my own glory. That initial post may have been prophetic to my lapse in posting. While I am sure my newest attempt at consistent blogging will include the pursuit of making a name for myself, which I will continue to repent of, I trust the Lord has sanctified me in his grace over the past two and half years. Hopefully the result will be more pure motivation, more consistent posting and more fruitful efforts.

The fruit I pray the Lord will produce in my blogging are as follows:

1. Fruitfulness in my own walk with the Lord
As I process my own thoughts and type them out, I pray the Lord will produce growth in my own heart.

2. Fruitfulness in my ability to communicate gospel truth
As I write, I pray the Lord will refine my ability to communicate gospel truth. As I see the Lord moving me closer and closer to full-time vocational ministry, I hope for an increased ability to clearly communicate biblical truth.

3. Fruitfulness in the lives of those who read
I pray the Lord would use the words I write to produce fruit in the lives of those who read them.

As I begin to blog again, I have a plan that I trust will result in more productive and fruitful efforts. There are two practical strategies I will implement to create more consistency.

1. I am hoping to have a consistent blogging schedule with two posts per week. On Wednesdays I am planning to post a general blog about a variety of topics. On Sundays I am planning to post a blog about Proverbs. More is coming about why I want to post about Proverbs.

2. The second component of how I plan to be more consistent is to “blog ahead”. I am hoping to create blogs ahead of time and save them as drafts. This will allow me to work ahead when I have additional free time, and stay caught up when I am experiencing busy seasons.

Whether my newest blogging endeavor will last is yet to be seen, but I am hoping the Lord will bless me with consistency and an outcome that is worthwhile.